A December to Remember!

First of all, we hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is looking forward to a terrific New Year's celebration this week. We know that the latest bunch of animals who headed home in time for the holidays are definitely feeling the magic of the season.

Since our last posting, eight cats and five dogs were adopted! You can see pictures and learn the tales of most of them by checking out our December adoptees photo album on our Facebook page or by clicking here. (Remember, you don't have to have a Facebook account just to see our page!) But since we don't have pictures of a few of the critters who went home, we thought we'd share their happy news here.

• Amos the dog went home to Green Bay with his new family - which includes a doggie brother named Blaze!
• LeAnn the kitten went home with Helen, who lives in Clintonville. LeAnn is Helen's only cat so we know she will be properly spoiled!
• Tweed the cat is now living in Green Bay with Marcia and her daughter Jennifer. Tweed will undoubtedly add entertainment to their lives, as well as the lives of Riley (their dog) and Phoebe and Ali (their other cats).
• Madison the cat went home on Christmas Eve day with a family who lives in Manawa. In fact, she was a Christmas surprise for two very unsuspecting children!

We also want to say thanks to the volunteers who took time out of their busy pre-holiday schedules to share part of last weekend with us. Those who volunteered at our second Photos with Santa Claws event helped us raise another $250 to care for the animals - and they introduced Tweed, Catarina and Kiara (who you'll find on Facebook) to their new families. And those who came out to the Sanctuary for dog/cat spa days helped us get the residents all ready for Christmas. Thank you all!

Home for the Holidays: December Adoption Update!

Wow, do we have lots of good news to share today! Lots of critters are getting ready to enjoy their first holiday season in their forever homes, thanks to the many adoptions we've had lately.

This past weekend alone, three dogs and one cat found their new families at our Photos with Santa Claws event at PetSmart. Shoppers who stopped by to get their pet's picture taken with Santa also had a chance to check out some of our cute critters. As a result, Apollo (the lovable American Staffordshire terrier pictured above), Brook & Fiona (the young black lab puppies) and Squeeky the cat all got scooped up! Plus, we raised $245 from our picture-taking efforts. Things went so well we're going back for more this upcoming weekend - so if you'd like to get YOUR pet's picture taken with Santa, stop by between 11-4 on either Saturday or Sunday. $5 from each picture goes to HEA. Plus, we'll have even MORE cuties there for adoption. Stop by - or volunteer, if you have time! We're definitely in need of more help, so e-mail Erin Elliott, our volunteer coordinator, at erinelliott@hotmail.com if you're interested.

But these four were just the most recent of our December adoptees. Be sure to check out the individual stories below and then go to our Facebook page to see pictures of all these lucky animals! You don't even have to have a Facebook account to see them - just click the link at the end of this post!

So first there was Rescue and Torti, who were with HEA for over a year. They're great cats, but they were waiting for the perfect home who would take both these guys (since they didn't want to be separated). Charlie and Jolee of Appleton provided that home. Now Rescue and Torti have two new humans and another cat to play with!

Ashley and Amaya went home to Suring with Cheryl and her teen daughters MacKenzie and Courtney. The threesome came to the Sanctuary to pick out two cats and after hours of debate, finally decided on these two sweethearsts. Ashley had first been adopted from us in 2008 but came back earlier this year because her parents divorced; Amaya was brought to HEA last summer as a stray and very feral kitty, but she is anything but feral now! She begs for attention and will jump on you to get it! Both girls will have a wonderful life with their new family.

Norm and Tara of Manawa saw our pretty Penny on Petfinder and came to get her straight away. They had recently lost a dog and were looking for a new, rescued companion to make their family whole again. Their dog, Edie, tagged along to meet Penny, and the girls got along famously! We hear Penny is already loving her new home - especially the couch and bed. She may be a tad spoiled, but she deserves it!

HEA volunteer Laurie knew that Lester the cat needed a little extra TLC, so she brought him home to foster him - and promptly fell in love. Since the rest of her cat tribe liked Lester, too, they decided to add him to the family permanently!

Magnolia went home to Julie and her daughter, who live in Green Bay. They are spending lots of time with her because she misses her kitty friends from HEA, but she's definitely settling in and is happy to finally be in a home after being in the PetSmart cubbies for two months.

Shep - the German shepherd mix now known as Tugger - moved in last month with HEA volunteer Kelly and her boyfriend. At first, it was just to give him a place to stay for the night after an adoption event. But they wouldn't bring him back! They considered fostering him, but within a week, they knew he was theirs forever. He even gets along great with Murray, Kelly's other dog. We're so happy for the whole clan!

We share some more detail on where Apollo, Brook, Fiona and Squeeky ended up in the Facebook photo album, too! So be sure to check it all out here! And we hope to see you this weekend at PetSmart!

We need dog food!

HEA is running low on dog food for our pooches again. When you're out holiday shopping, consider picking up some dog food (ANY brand/size is appreciated!) and dropping it off at any of these places:

- Animal Hospital of Ashwaubenon (1030 Willard Drive, Ashwaubenon)

- Animal House (3175 Voyager Drive, Green Bay)

- Happily Ever After (E5714 Bork Road, Marion, WI)

You could also bring it to PetSmart in Green Bay (across from Bay Park Square) next Saturday and Sunday between 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. when we're there for our Photos with Santa Claws fundraiser. Be sure to stop in with you pet to get his/her picture taken with Santa! $5 of each photo goes to HEA.

Adoption update!

It was definitely a happy Thanksgiving for three of HEA's critters that spent the holiday in their brand new homes with their brand new families!

Herbie, the adorable kitten pictured at the very top of this posting, went home the week before last. He was scooped up by a Green Bay family that had adopted from us before and wanted some more companionship for themselves and their first cat.

Last week, Bright Eyes was adopted by a very full household! This sweet kitten (pictured below Herbie) now lives in Algoma with Anne and Al, their four kids, a dog and two other cats. Here's the hard part: coming up with a new name for Bright Eyes that everyone in this large family agrees upon. Word has it that each of the kids has a different idea. Imagine that!! :)

Choco, a gorgeous dog we've had the pleasure of hosting for the last 13 months, found his forever home last week, too. His new parents are JoAnn and Tracy, who live in Appleton. Choco (renamed Moose) joins their family, which includes 3 cats and another dog. Moose is partially blind, due to cataracts, but that didn't stop his new family from seeing how special he is. JoAnn tells us that he's adapting amazingly well to his new surroundings.

While these are all terrific stories, Moose's story is especially exciting. It just goes to show that there is indeed a perfect home out there for EVERY animal - it's just a matter of waiting for the connection to be made!

Congrats to these lovable animals and their great new families!!